Railway-car brake



(No Model.) 2 Sheets$l1et 1.

W. E. MAULTBY.

RAILWAY OAR BRAKE. No. 358,868. Patented Mar. 8, 1887.

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2 Shets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

W. E; MAULTBY.

RAILWAY GAR BRAKE.

No. 358,868. Patented Mar.8,-188'7.

Start VILLIAM EDWARD MAULTBY, OF FORSYIH, MICHIGAN.

RAILWAY-CAR BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 358,868, dated March 8, 1887.

Application filed March 9, 1886. Serial No. 194,554. (No model.)

To-aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM EDWARD MAULTBY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Forsyth, in the county of Marquette and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brakes for Railway-Oars, of which I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description,

reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My present invention has relation to theiinprovement of that class of railway-car brakes wherein the brake mechanism of the several cars that compose the train can be readily controlled by the engineer or other operator upon the engine or forward part of the train.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, durable, and effective brake-system, which can be readily applied to the forms of brake mechanism now commonly employed, and particularly is my invention applicable to trains of freight-cars and ore-cars, the brakes of which are now usually applied separately by an operator upon each car. This object of my invention I have accomplished by providing each car of the train with slide-bars at each end, which are connected together and with the slide-bars at the opposite end and to the brake-beams in such manner that when the position of the slide'bars of the forward car is shifted so as to partially or fully apply its brakes and check its speed a partial setting of the brakes throughout the train will be made, and the momentum of the succeeding cars will cause the brakes to be partially or fully applied, as the case may be, and more or less completely arrest the movement of the train.

My invention consists in the novel construction of mechanism hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly defined in the claims at the end of the specification.

Figure 1 is a plan view, the floor of the car being removed. Fig.2is a similar view showing the positions of the parts when the brakes are applied. Figs.3,4,and 4 are detail views of the two-part link. Fig. 5 is a view in central longitudinal section through the car. Fig. 6 is a plan View of the connecting-rod between the brake-beams, the spring-box at its end be ing inpart removed. Fig. 7 is a similar view with the spring-box closed.

A designates the floor or platform of a freightcar, the under side of which is provided with suitable cross-beams, a, beneath which are the sustaining-trucks, that may be of any usual or approved construction. The brake-beams are of ordinary construction, and the beam B is provided with the usual brake-lever, b, pivoted thereto, from the lower end of which to the brake-beam B extends the connecting-rod b, and from the upper end of which to the usual winding-posts, B leads the chain b. Instead of connecting the rod I) rigidly to the levers b and to the brake-beam E, I prefer to provide this rod at one end with acoiled spring, 0, that encircles the rod, and is carried within the divided barrel or box (3, the sections of which are bolted together, as at 0. The reduced end 0 of this box is pivoted to the lever 1), and the rod is held therein ina manner iree to slide, its movement being limited by the flange b at its end,which bears against the coiled spring 0.

As thus far defined the mechanism does not differ, except in the manner of connecting the rod 1) to the lever b, from the ordinary brake mechanism, and it will be seen that by means of the winding-post B the brake-beams can be operated in the usual manner in case a car with my brake system is included in a train in which such system is not employed. As the brake mechanism is the same at each end of the car,a description of that at one end will be sufficient.

Beneath the floor A extend the longitudinal beams to, on the under side of which are bolted the cross-beams a, and upon these cross-beams are sustained the slide-bars D and l), the ends of which project beyond the end of the car and are provided with the buffer-heads d, against which the buffer-heads of the next succeeding car will abut when the brakes are thrown into operation, as seen at Fig. 2.

On the inner side of the slide-barD is formed a lug, d, to which is pivotally connected the link E, the opposite end of thislink being pivoted to the connecting-lever F, that is held in a manner free to turn upon the pivot-bolt f, that connects this lever to the cross-beam a The opposite end of thelever F is connected to the link E, the outer end of which is pivoted to the lug d on the side of the slide-bar D. The link E is preferably formed in two parts, e and e, as seen in Fig. 3, the part 0 having an interior thread adapted to receive the threaded stem of the part 6. Upon the link E is held the coiled spring E one end of which bears against the shoulder e of the link, while the opposite end bears against the washer 6 The part c of the link Eis provided with the flattened end 0 within which is formed a long slot, 6", that receives the pivot-pin e, which serves to j oiu this link to the slide-bar D. The purpose of this spring E will be presently defined. From one end of the connecting-lever F to the brake-lever 1) extends the chain G, which serves to unite the slide-bars with the brake-beams, and from both ends of the connecting-lever to the corresponding connecting-lever at the opposite end of the car extend the connecting-rods H and H, which serve to cause the uniform operation of the brake mechanism at each end of the car. From the under side of the slide-bar D depends the lug k, having an eye therein, through which passes the rod k, that carries the coiled spring K, and is bolted to the plate L, that depends from the beam a The purpose of this spring is to aid in restoring the slide-bars to their normal position, as will hereinaftermore fully appear. The cars will be provided with the usual bumpers, the buffer-heads of the slidebars, when the brakes are not in operation, being preferably about upon a line with these, as seen in Fig. 1.

From the foregoing description the operation of my improved brake mechanism will be seen to be as follows: For the purpose of better illustrating the operation of my improved" brake mechanism I have shown at one end of the car the slide-bars and bumper of the locomotive-tender, and at the opposite end the slide- ,bars and bumper of the next succeeding car of the train. Assuming the parts to be in the relative positions shown in Fig. 1, it will be seen that if the speed of the locomotive-tender is checked and its slide-bar D is forced backward to the positions shown in Fig. 2, the slide-bar D of the next car will be correspondingly forced backward and the slide-bar D will be thrust forward by reason of the connectinglever F and links E and E. The backward movement of the slide-bar D and corresponding movement of the connecting-lever F will cause the chain G and brake-lever b to throw the brake beams into operation. It will be observed that if the locomotive tender is separated from the car the distance of the coupling at the time that the slide-bar D is forced backward the movement of this slidebar will be but partial, and the brakes will not be applied with full force to the running wheels. As the movement of the tender is checked, however, so that its bumper contacts with that of the next succeeding car, the momentum of this car will serve to force the slide-bar D completely backward and apply the brakes with full force. The initial movement given to the slide-bars D and D will be communicated by the connecting-rods to the slide-bars and brake-beams at the opposite end of the car, as seen at Fig. 2. This initial movement will also be communicated to the slidebars D and D of the next car,so as to partially apply its brakes. As this next car moves forward, so that its bumper contacts with that of the preceding car, its brakes will be applied with full force, since it is apparent that the momentum of this car will cause the slide-bar D to force backward the slide-bar D a distance equal to that between the bumpers. It will thus be seen that if the slide-bar D forces backward the bar D six inches, the slide-bar D will be forced forward a like distance and will be met by the opposite slide-bar, D, when the bumpers contact. In this manner the brakes will be applied upon the several cars which compose the train successively. By connecting the brake-beams B and B by means of a rod, 1), having a spring, 0, the brakeshoes of the beam 13 will be applied to the running wheels with an even pressure, as the momentum of the car applies the full force of the brakes, the amount of pressure being determined by the power of this spring.

As soon as the bumpers of the cars are separated by'the forward movement of the train the coiled spring K will cause the slide-bars to assume the normal position shown in Fig. 1. When the slide-bars are in the position shown in Fig. 1, the shunting together of the cars will cause a slight backward movement of the slide-bars, and it is for the purpose of guarding against any breakage of parts incident to such movement that I provide the link E with the long slot e in one end and with the coiled spring E thereon, since by this construction a slight backward yielding of the slide-bars is permitted.

It will be readily understood by the skilled mechanic that the details of construction above set out may be varied within wide limits without departing from the spirit of my invention,

the scope of which is defined in the following claims:

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A brake for railway-cars, comprising two slide-bars at each end of the car, each of said slide-bars having buffer-heads, and the slidebars at each end of the car being pivotally connected together, rods for connecting the slide-bars at the opposite ends of the car, and suitable connecting mechanism between the slide-bars and the brake-beams, substantially as described.

2. A brake for railway-cars, comprising two projecting slide-bars, D and D, at each end of the car, the links E and E, connecting-lever F, attached to said links, and suitable mechanism connecting said slide-barslto the brakebeams and to the slide-bars at the opposite end of the car, substantially as described.

3. A brake for railway-cars, comprising two projecting slide-bars, D and D, at each end of the car, pivotally. connected together, a connecting-lever, F, attached to said links, and a mechanism leading to the brake-beams and to yielding connection between one of said slidethe slide-bars at the opposite end of the car, 10 bars and the connecting-lever, substantially as substantially as described.

described.

5 4:. A brake for railway-cars, comprising the WILLIAM mm ARI) MAULTBY slide-bars D and D, the link E, the link E, Witnesses: having a slotted end, the coiled spring E the CHAS. L. MANN, connecting-lever F, and suitable connecting JAS. M. PERELEs. 

